As we move to the end of summer, further into this pandemic, and through the various healthcare topics Bree is addressing this year, I continue to return to the intertwined ideas of trauma and stigma. I think about how denial is a huge coping strategy for many people. I also think about the power of…

On day two of our Implementation Summit in June, I referenced a Radiolab podcast episode I heard in the beginning days of physical distancing that continues to stick with me. The reporter had come across a list of items that Cold War era planners would preserve in the event of a nuclear event- items that could be used to…

Our healthcare system serves as a trusted source of information; a safe space to discuss stigmatizing aspects of our lives; a place to be immunized against deadly viruses, have broken bones repaired, find and treat cancer. BUT while this is so important and so obviously make us healthier – we are not spending our health…

I find myself returning again and again to James Baldwin’s quote that Amy Etzel used to open day one of our Behavioral Health Summit – “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” This rings true for a person, an organization, and for our country. We…

I have shown up perfectly zero percent of the time. One of my lifetime burdens is unlearning this desire for perfection. Perfect is not possible. This past week I have done some digging into trauma-informed care and am looking forward tomorrow’s day one of our Behavioral Health Summit for Kody Russell, MSW, Executive Director of…

June is pride month. My feelings about pride today come from knowing that Stonewall was a riot led by trans women of color. These people that I will never know putting their bodies at risk led to me being able to marry my wife, to file taxes as a single household, to grow our family…

  I am thinking about violence against people of color – violence from law enforcement and also violence from within the medical system. I am thinking about the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others. I am thinking about our individual actions and also how working within the healthcare space…

COVID-19 has destabilized our world. People are more stressed, anxious, depressed, and simply tired than ever before. I know that we will see the impact of this on increased rates of alcohol use, drug use, and suicide rates as time goes on. We need our health care system to be able to handle this increased…

I have noticed that more and more of us are willing to talk about how we are feeling. This may be one of the more positive changes from the COVID-19 pandemic. So many of my meetings now start with an emotional check in – colleagues will report having an off day, an extra anxious day,…

We are living through a strange and stressful time. The word unprecedented, although completely accurate, has been a bit overused. Our usual lives seem far away. Like so many, Bree Collaborative staff are thinking about the huge need for behavioral health services that exists in our community and that has only increased due to this…